True Life Story: My Rape Experience...

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feel dirty. I feel used. I feel like jumping off this building. Every day I wake, it is the same thought that goes through my mind. My childhood was that of a typical teenager. I played with my friends when the time was available, but I always remembered that homework was important. How else would I show I studied after school? I had gone on a holiday to stay with my Aunt and it was one of the best holidays ever. She had promised to have a small party for me as I turned 13. I looked forward to the weekend as my birthday fell on a week day. I had woken up and now that I remember I wish I never did. The day went on as usual and nothing ever pointed to what would happen. My Aunt had asked me to buy biscuits from the stall around the corner from the house. It was getting dark, but not too dark for me. I always ran to the stall and back. I asked Paul my cousin who was younger than me to accompany me. As we chatted, that was when I looked up and saw them; five hefty looking boys. They hit Paul on his head and he passed out. I screamed for help as they grabbed me. I wondered what the matter was. I was only thirteen. Did I take what was not mine? I turned to look at Paul, he looked lifeless. The slap across my face brought me back to reality. I begged for mercy as they tore my clothes, laughing and calling me names. I shut my eyes. My legs hurt as they forced them open and I heard them say ‘Na me go start‘… That was when I opened my eyes and saw the half naked body over me and he hit me across the face for daring to open my eyes and just then I felt the sharp pain as he rammed into me. My scream stopped half way. I felt him being pushed away and a different one continued. All five of them violated my body. I felt nothing. As they ran away leaving me in my blood, I crawled home to get help for Paul. I still feel nothing years after. All I see is black. My aunt warned that I tell no one. She secretly took me for all the tests available. Yet she said, tell no one. How can I tell anyone that I had lost my virginity to five boys? They would know how dirty am. I am stained, tainted. I am no good. I have no value. I am ashamed because I know it is my fault. I want out. I hate boys! I hate the girls who have never felt this pain. I hate the world. This is one of the numerous stories that I have heard and I still cannot fathom the idea. Rape is vile. What drives the thought? I chose the story above because the child was just thirteen so the case of her being under dressed or being a cock tease does not come to play. We have lived in silence about rape and it is slowly eating deep. It starts from home they say, ‘charity’. The values we in still in our children will live with them. If we don’t, who do we blame? I am no psycho analyst; I am just a concerned woman who has seen the effect of rape on the victim. Sometimes, we meet women who will never be caught with men. We judge them because we do not know what their experiences have been and why they have made certain choices. The victims who are not strong enough cave in to their fears. No matter how strong, the smell still stays with you. The flashes come and sometimes they are forced to die in silence because the society makes you believe it was your fault. I have heard some men call it ‘force within reasonable reason’. I have heard some women say, ‘why did she go to his house?’ ‘what was she doing there?’. These are not questions we should ask. Last I checked, ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ have totally different meanings. I am sharing the story above with you because I believe we can talk to her through this medium. She has started her healing because she has spoken. There is a cost for silence! ...

Read More at thenet.ng/2011/09/true-life-story-my-rape-experience/ Follow us: @theNETng on Twitter | theNETng on Facebook

True Life Story: My Rape Experience ...

Read More at thenet.ng/2011/09/true-life-story-my-rape-experience/ Follow us: @theNETng on Twitter | theNETng on Facebook

True Life Story: My Rape Experience ...

Read More at thenet.ng/2011/09/true-life-story-my-rape-experience/ Follow us: @theNETng on Twitter | theNETng on Facebooktttt

True Life Story: My Rape Experience...

Read More at thenet.ng/2011/09/true-life-story-my-rape-experience/ Follow us: @theNETng on Twitter | theNETng on Facebook

Boston: Few people are lucky enough to win $1 million in the lottery. But one Massachusetts woman has now done it twice.
Constance Carpenito, of Stoneham, recently won a $1 million prize on a scratch ticket in the $10,000,000 Diamond Millionaire instant game.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Lottery says Carpenito also won $1 million on a scratch ticket back in 1996.
Both tickets were purchased at the same Stop and Shop supermarket on Main Street in her hometown. If that isn’t enough, she also once bought a $20,000 winning ticket at the store.
Carpenito says she plays $20 in lottery tickets every week. She plans to put her most recent winnings toward a very special Christmas for her family.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/us-woman-wins-1-million-dollars-for-2nd-time/16703186#sthash.rxKAeQjL.dpuf

Mumbai: Gold smuggler points Customs officials to jewellery store owner

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-gold-smuggler-points-customs-officials-to-jewellery-store-owner/16755156#sthash.FvAzj8xD.dpuf

Female Singer died Shamefully In The Arms of a Pentecoastal Pastor

It's really sad when some of these ladies think that they are too wise, playing games on their husband...

Now the controversy is getting messy. Husband of the gospel singer who was found dead in a private hotel in Benin, Edo State, Mr. Odion Omoarebokhae, has accused the senior pastor of a Pentecostal church, identified as Apostle Psalm Okpe, of allegedly killing his wife, Yvonne Omoarebokhae.

Mr. Odion, a businessman who dismissed speculation that his wife died of cardiac arrest, insisted that her drink could have been laced with an overdose of a 'drug' in the hotel room leading to her death.

The married lady with a three-year-old child had on April 8, 2016, been reportedly found dead in a private hotel ‎located in GRA, Benin city, a day after performing at a church programme in Warri.

The 30-year-old lady was said to have been invited by the Lagos based pastor, whom she had reportedly met on Facebook, to perform at a church programme in Warri, Asaba and Benin.

She was said to have been confirmed dead at the Central Hospital, Benin, while her corpse was deposited in a mortuary.

Efforts to reach Pastor Okpe for comments ‎were unsuccessful as he was said to be in police custody.

But the husband of the deceased, who told Punch that he did not know the pastor, said, “‎At about 9pm, I was called to come to the Airport road police station. Initially, I thought she had an issue with the taxi she took on her way back.

“But later that night, the police, after tossing me here and there, told me that she was dead. It was later that I discovered that the pastor that invited her to the programme, Psalm Okpe, had killed my wife.”

Mr Odion also said the CCTV footage obtained from the hotel revealed that both his wife and the Pastor lodged in the same room and ‎showed the suspicious movements of the pastor, which according to him indicated his complicity in the death of his wife.

The husband said, “I have watched the CCTV footage. Initially, the pastor said that they came back together and she went her way and he went his own way.

But we have been to that place (hotel) and watched the CCTV footage and discovered that, contrary to what he (Pastor Okpe) wrote, she (his late wife) actually slept there.

“Immediately they entered, she was just following like a dumb (and) went up upstairs. The police told me that they met my wife dressed like somebody ready to go out. The police snapped her (took her photograph) like somebody taking a nap.

“I have seen my wife’s body; there is no mark on her. From what I observed, I think she was given an overdose of a substance I do not know. Probably, her system could not take it.

“She communicated with me that day she died, at about 10am, that they have finished performing; she could not return the day before; that she is already in Benin (and) in the next one hour, she will be in the house.”

‎The husband of the lady, who claimed to have received calls from some persons to withdraw the matter, urged the Police to conduct a thorough investigation in the interest of justice for the aggrieved family.

“One or two person have been calling me that I should try and bury my wife that they will talk to them for settlement. I have told them (that) I didn’t sell her and I am not collecting any money from anybody.

“I want the police to follow this case because I know that pastor Psalm Okpe killed my wife. So, I want the law to make sure he does not go unpunished,”‎ the husband insisted.

Abuse of the girl child Different shades, perpetrators and health implications

Poverty and child abuse
Baby factories are springing up all over the country. The big idea is to get pregnant first and then pray that a good customer comes around to buy. Many of the girls involved do so for reasons of poverty. When there are no buyers, the babies are either thrown away or abandoned .they will end up in motherless baby’s homes , and probably grow up without the moral instructions available in intact homes
Also, many women send out their daughters to hawk, ending up as street girls and girls of the street
In addition, women celebrate when agents of traffickers come to take their daighters to Italy and other parts of the world as sex slaves………
Single parent hood,fractured marriages ,same sex marriage and child abuse

n homes where there is harmony and parents or guardian are fully involved in the growth and development of their kids, there are formidable challenges. For reasons too numerous to state here, it is an up hill task, raising a girl child on your own. Family values are very likely to be completely absent, truncated or deliberately misinterpreted. As always there are exceptions ,but the bottom line is that chances are higher that a girl child in any of these arrangements will suffer abuses, in particular sex abuse ,the nature or severity depending on other circumstances.I am not against any one or particular group here. I am only stating circumstances
Child abuse in schools and institutions
In the first part of this article, much waswritten about the possibility of individuals entrusted with the care , health and education of a girl child actually contributing to her destruction by first tormenting her by many ways and means in order to weaken her capacity to refuse sexual advances.Given anuncompromising environment, as found in many of our boarding institutions the world over, where a college student is afraid to tell, any thing can happenand sexual abuse can go on unchecked for years creating a cycle that will see an abused girl child becoming an adult female abuser of women. In many parts of the world,a disturbing trend in remand homes, homes for the disabled and other places established to serve as correction centres for children with extreme degrees of stubbornness and ,those that have been described as children on the street, is that many of them have become victims of sex abuse, and by individuals employed to take care of them. In boarding schools across the globe, children are for many reasons shut out from their parents and guardian. This has encouraged different forms of abuse; the understanding that except for serious medical emergencies, parents are allowed to communicate with their parents only during visiting days creates near perfect conditions for adults with deviant behaviour and abnormal orientation to prey on victims too young and too fragile to understand inappropriate and potentially harmful situations and negotiate themselves out and into safety.
Religion, culture and child abuse
It is well known that doctrines exist that encourage polygamy, polyandry and same sex marriages. Some of these doctrines are fired by religious organizations and fiercely defended. There may be advantages but the dis advantages are numerous. Large families are prone to deprivations, incestuous relationships from poor or conflicting parental control measures, and unhealthy rivalries. In all, the girl child is seriously at a disadvantage since in the understanding of the Nigerian African, the girl child is both an asset as well as a liability. In some communities, men are pressured into marrying more wives in order to have moremale children and so ensure they have stronger capacity for full representation in family matters.
Education and child abuse
The woman with little or no education pays little attention to logic, finds it very difficult to break with traditions that are harmful to health, even her own health, most likely to accommodate absurdities .She is likely to look the other way if reporting unhealthy family practices threaten her matrimony .
Politics and child abuse.
Only few politicians consider dangers derivable from their actions and inactions. By extreme policies designed to maintain them in power and very comfortable lifestyle, sometimes running with the hares and eating with hounds, they create wars and disputes where women and children become vulnerable-as street hawkers, brothel and non brothel sex workers ,women of comfort etc.
Genetics and child abuse
There are some individuals who are born with body composition and mind set tailored towards the abnormal, the absurd, and the wicked. Knowledge about the disconnect between the acts that these classes of people are capable of and the normal human feeling is not readily available.The traits can be picked up early if parents care and are watchful. They are in the province of Doctors who are Specialists in disorders of the brain, mind and body.
Science and child abuse
Exposure to social media has it’s good, bad and ugly sides; only few parents monitor their kids, many of whom may be exchanging messages of sexual nature with men old enough to be their fathers . Inappropriate relationships for age are frequently the hall marks of child abuse.
WAY FORWARD/RECOMMENDATIONS
What Government can do
Data bank on sexual abuse will notonly help in knowing the extent of the problem, it will also help in the design of programmes to address the issues involved
Policies
There should be conscientious efforts with regards to conflict resolutions, to tackle issues of inequalities in the distribution of the common wealth. More peace committees like the one that saw Nigeria through the 2015 elections are needed in various aspects of our social and geopolitical life as a nation .As has been canvassed, ‘eyes to eyes is better than eyes for eyes’. Dialogue and patience with groups that have genuine and reasonable grievances will prevent clashes and conflicts that place women and children in harm’s way .
As concerns poverty, eradication and not alleviation should be the right thing to do. It is the height of insensitivity and inhumanity for any one to complain about payment of eighteen thousand Naira as minimum wage, even as the current economic situation drives people to eat from waste dumps. Women should be empowered by way of interest free loans, with government assisting them to form cooperatives. The campaign promise to pay five thousand Naira to unemployed should begin immediately with adequate statistical support. The arithmetic and methodology can be worked out by setting up task force units drawn directly from the federal and state ministries of economic development where you have statisticians and enumerators among others that can do the job. This will save costs and avoid the mistakes being realized in the implementation of the single treasury account(TSA). Government should also clear the mess created by corrupt officials in the administration of pension funds and then go ahead to look into social well fare services for the elderly .
Child healthand Child rights
Many of the children that have suffered physical abuse including sexual molestation did not know any thingabout rights until many years after . There should be health education using social media , and other cheap and simple means .Children need to know they have their own rights, that they don’t have to be afraid to report any inappropriate advances, unusual and unofficial punishment etc. Authorities can use local and other means of communication so children become aware that there are channels through which an abused child can report past and current abuse cases.
Governments at federal and state levels should give due considerations legislative backing to the child rights act and also provide support in the area of finance and logistics to individuals and organizations involved in anti childtrafficking activities
Family planning: for over two decades efforts to assist Nigerians accept behaviour change towards healthy family planning services have not been largely successful; Ignorance due to the very high rate of illiteracy ,religious injunctions and cultural practices that place the girl child second as necessary but not essential, have been responsible. Sadly, the poor seem to think it is fun, producing boys and girls they have no means to feed and send to school.

Presidency rejects N750, 000-a-man for Eaglets

A much lower proposal of 150,000 Naira per player of the victorious Golden Eaglets has been tabled by the sports ministry after a proposal of 750,000 Naira-a-player was rejected by the Presidency as “too much.”
The Federal Government, according to africanFootball.com, has rejected an initial proposal by the sports ministry to reward the Eaglets after the team won a fifth FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last month.
This week the government warned that next year will be tough for the country because of the poor economy and has moved to reduce drastically government spending.
“The proposal has been reviewed after the first rejection. We wait for the green light from the Presidency on the date for the reception and the reward,” a sports ministry official told africanFootball.com.

Ake: Soyinka’s memoir hits the screen

Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka’s childhood memoir: Ake, The Years of Childhood, has hit the screen. The film, a feature on Soyinka’s path to greatness, was shown at the MUSON Centre in Lagos. The “special” screening drew notable names in the Nigerian art scene, reports EVELYN OSAGIE.
Like one destined for great things, three-and-a-half-year- old Oyewole woke up that morning with the intention of going to school. Without a second thought for “the arm-reaching-your-ears” requirement needed for admission into school, he sought out the “most essential” item required – books.
Not possessing any yet, he reached for his father’s big and advanced books; and then, to school, he proceeded. Behold, the son of the headmaster, “Essay”, and a civil rights advocate christened, “Wild Christian”, Mr Samuel Ayodele and Mrs Eniola Soyinka, who would later dazzle the world of art and literature. The rest is history.
Sit at ease and watch as history comes alive in the childhood memories of the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka at Ake, Abeokuta, as captured by Back Page Production’s feature film, Ake, an adaptation of Soyinka’s memoir, Ake, The Years of Childhood.
Watch his early adventures into the world of the surreal, culture, hunting, humour and literature brilliantly interpreted and rendered by the child-actors, who played “Soyinka” in the film – Oluwafunmbi Oladele (4), Mofiyinfoluwa Oladele (6), whose part was the longest, and Jedidiah Ogunremi (11). View as his love for scholarship, nature and reflection grow as the film takes you back to the times between 1935 and 1945.

Discover the root of the symbolisms that embellish his works and you would be forced to read or revisit Ake, The Years of Childhood for scholarly guidance into Soyinka’s persona.
Such was the ‘delicacy’ offered to the audience to relish when the feature film, Ake, premiered at the Agip Hall of the MUSON Centre, Lagos.
Set in the 1930s and 1940s, the film seeks to recreate that period through restored locations and the automobiles of the era. It featured more than 300 cast.
The screening of Ake at the MUSON Centre drew a robust crowd, especially from the Nigerian art scene. Watching were arts enthusiasts and aficionados, such as Prof Femi Osofisan and his wife, Prof Adenike; Odia Ofeimun; former Director-General, Centre for Black African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), Prof Tunde Babawale; Mr Kunle Ajibade of The News and PM News; Director-General, National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Ms Patricia Bala; Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr Steve Ayorinde; former Association of Nigerian Author (ANA) President Remi Raji; former ANA Lagos Chair, Mr Chike Ofili and ace filmmaker, Mr Mahmood Ali-Balogun and Victor Olaotan of the TV sitcom, Tinsel.
Former Ogun State Commissioner of Health, Dr Olaokun Soyinka, represented the family and stood in for the Nobel Laureate.
Watch the film, break
the symbols
The film aroused diverse emotions from the audience. Some said it gingered in them a fresh interest to read the book to see the modification introduced to story line.
For others, it was interesting to watch the characters they first encountered in the book alive on screen. Ofeimun belonged to this class.
Although, he agreed that a film is never an exact representation of a book, but in terms of providing the sense of folklore, he observed that the film presented him with the pictures of the key moments in the book. “I think the attempt to make a transition from childhood to adulthood and at the same time represent that women’s movement is precisely what offered a picture that you can say rounded up the book.
“I am not too sure that we are having the story in the same manner it came out in the book – usually filmmakers do a shift of focus. But we have two kinds of things going on: a documentary approach and a storyteller’s approach,” he said.
According to NFVCB’s D-G, “there is something about Soyinka’s books and plays,” after watching the film. “You need to think deeply to get out the meanings, because he uses a lot of symbols. Just watching it now, I can’t string it together, yet, I need to think deeply about it. It started with a young Wole growing up, then, being initiated, and the story shifts again to the women’s riot. I may need to revisit the book to under the symbols,” said Ms Bala.
But for Dr Soyinka, it was pure delight watching his father being brought to life on the big screen. He said: “I am excited as you are to see the film. I haven’t been aware of the story when it started. It’s a film that needed to be made. I thank Dapo for the energy he put in and the labour of love. Thank you for making the project happen and bringing all our family members to life.”
A cast of stars
Guests had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with the cast, featuring notable Nigerian actors and actresses, such as the elegantly- dressed Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, who played “Madam Amelia”, an outspoken Egba woman in the wake of the Egba women’s riots of 1945; music icon, Yinka Davies as “Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti”, one of the lead characters reputed for her involvement in the women’s riot; award-winning, writer and actor, Toyin Abiodun (Rev I.O. Ransome Kuti); former national technical director and head coach of the Super Eagles, who is currently a top ranking FIFA official, Chief Festus Onigbinde (who featured as Rev J.J. Ransome-Kuti, father of I.O. Kuti); Lanike Onimisi and Gbenga Ajiboye (young Wole’s parents); Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti who played “Mrs Odufuwa” Wale Adebayo of the Sango fame, who played the spirit man” and Jimi Solanke.
Other cast included Joke Muyiwa as the old woman from Ago-Owu; Afeez Oyetoro (Saka) starred as “Mr Latinwo”, a guest who regularly gulped down Mr Soyinka’s meals and was regular at lunch times; Yemi Solade as “Broda Pupa” from Burma; Bayo Bankole (Boy Alinco) in Papa Ajasco TV series featured as Iku, the rascal pupil of Abeokuta Grammar; the current British Council Director, Alex Bratt and diplomats from the British Consulate and French schools, among others.
As the film unfolded, one saw an audacious young Soyinka that was mischievous, yet eager to learn, one that was given to reading books. The deep understanding with which Oluwafunmbi and his brother, Mofiyinfoluwa interpreted their role as Soyinka added colour and enlivened the suspense and humour in the film.
The filmmaker’s
experiment
The makers of the film made use of set replacement and extension by means of green screening, and combined child-view narrative technique with historic events, such as the Second World War as heard or imagined in Ake.
For the Executive Producer/Director, Dapo Adeniyi, after spending over a year putting the film together, the film screening gave the feeling of a cook who prepared a mouth-watering meal. “You put all the condiments, but still have to wait for the compliments of those who would eat the meal. The taste of the pudding is, as they say, in the eating! We have experimented a lot with innovative technologies in the effort to augment the supply of actual period props and set props,” he explained.
There were divergent views on the success of Adeniyi’s experiment with the storyline and scenes. Some praised the filmmaker’s efforts in bringing to life outdated vehicles and monuments long forgotten; others observed that some scenes were not properly linked, adding that the costumes, especially those worn by the women looked modern.
To these, Adeniyi explained further: “Scenes necessarily had to be axed or modified. Speeches – some affectionate speeches – are manicured in order to fit into frames of time and media propriety. But we pushed limits by ushering in a bit of verbosity bearing in mind that this was after all first, a Soyinka – as usual aesthetically overtoned with verbiage – on the one hand, and on the other a literary adaptation.
“Through the use of green screens also known as chroma key, buildings can be added to a set or replaced. An automobile could run on the streets of Abeokuta and Lagos, but were actually driven at a corner of England. This is a case of what you see is not what you get. It is the world of make-believe, isn’t it? We have also deliberately privileged old architecture in this production. Many Brazilian and colonial-styled houses were brought into the feature film to celebrate aspects of our oral history that we are losing very fast,” he said.
Nigeria history
and monument
Besides the story of a young Soyinka, the film presented today’s audience with a few lessons from history as it highlighted some historical events, such as the background of the Egba Women’s Riots of 1945, which climaxed with the famed deposition of the Alake of Egbaland, the abolition of the poll tax on Nigerian women, the institution of the universal adult suffrage and the Second World War.
While capturing the sights and sounds of the period, the film also made a subtle case for the preservation of monuments, architectural forms and landscapes, especially those involving renowned figures such as the WS. A 300-page coffee book, Ake: Great Moments of a Grand Production, were also on display at the venue.
Other guests included Director, Lagos Film School; French Envoy, Pierre Cherrau; Eric Maydieu of Peugeot Nigeria; Segun Oyekunle of Abuja Film Village International; General Manager, FRCN’s Radio One, Funke Treasure-Durodola; Director, Radio Continental, Richie Dayo Johnson; Samuel Ebohon and Segun Adejumo.

Woman Bites Store Employee After Stealing Underwear , Police Say

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — A New York woman was arrested after she allegedly bit an employee of a Vermont store after he attempted to retrieve underwear she had allegedly stolen from the store.
The Rutland Herald reports the 33-year-old woman from White Plains, New York, will be arraigned on Dec. 14 on misdemeanor charges of retail theft and simple assault. Her hearing had been scheduled for Monday, but has since been rescheduled.
Loss-prevention officer Richard Durham, of the TJ Maxx store in Rutland, told police the woman kicked him, slapped his glasses off of his face and bit his thumb after he had taken her purse to check for the stolen underwear.
Police say Durham retrieved the $21.50 underwear from the woman's bag.
If convicted, the woman faces a maximum sentence of more than a year in prison.

SHOCKING: Rivers University expels student for having “speech and hearing challenges”

The student opened the letter she was clutching in her hands and felt the walls around her crumble.
As Jane Ottah stood outside her departmental office at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, the reality of what she had just read began to gradually sink in.
“What I saw in the letter was the shock of my life,” said Ms. Ottah, 28, who was in her first year in the Department of Educational Foundation.
“This was a thing I will never believe, this was the one thing that could have taken away my life if it wasn’t for the help of my friends‎ who were there when I was about to faint.”
‎On January 30, 2015, the university terminated Ms. Ottah’s admission over claims of speech and hearing challenges.
“I am directed to state that during your recent medical examination in the Health Services Department, it was observed that you are medically challenged and have hearing and speech difficulties,” read the letter signed‎ by C.M Ewhorlu, Principal Assistant Registrar (Senate) of the university.
“I am further directed to state that as a result of these difficulties our team of medical personnel found it impossible to communicate with you.
“Since the University ‎does not have special communication facilities, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that you be de-registered on health grounds. I am in the circumstance, directed to inform you that you have been de-registered on health grounds with immediate effect.
“You are therefore advised to hand over all University property(ies) in your possession to your Head of Department and thereafter leave the campus.”
A ‘Special’ Student?
‎Despite the university’s claims that she was a special student, Ms. Ottah insisted she had no such challenges.
After initially applying to study Business Administration at the university, Ms. Ottah was offered an admission to read Educational Foundations in September 2014.
When the school reopened a month later, she joined other fresh students for the admission formalities, which included a medical check-up at the institution’s medical centre.
“As soon as I went there and I was asked what is wrong with my voice, I told the doctor that I have a voice problem, that I can talk but at times my voice is somehow,” Ms. Ottah told PREMIUM TIMES during a Whatsapp chat.
“I was not with my hearing aid the day I went there., and she (the doctor) didn’t understand me very well but the other younger doctor was there as well who was asking me questions about what happened to my voice and I decided to tell her about my hearing problem as well‎.
“And she asked me some questions like how did it happened and I told her. She seemed to understand me a bit but the elder doctor didn’t‎.
“And she asked about my eyes just because I was putting on glasses‎. And I told her that I do have eyes problem‎ and she checked my eyes and put it down on a book‎.
‎”And she asked me if I was sick as a kid because of my hearing loss. I told her no. It just happened in a way that one can’t tell.
“So she asked about my secondary school, if it was a deaf school. I told her no‎, it’s not a deaf school I went to‎‎.”
According to her West African Examination Council result made available to PREMIUM TIMES,‎ Ms. Ottah‎ finished from Hallel College in Rumuogba, Port Harcourt, with three distinctions and five credits.
At the university medical centre, Ms. Ottah said she overheard the doctors discussing the possibility of her coping with the academic rigours.
“From that day, nothing was bad. I was busy with assignment, project, test, and planning for my first semester exams in February,” she said.
The school went on Christmas break on December‎ 22, 2014, and resumed on January 5th, 2015.
Everything seemed fine for Ms. Ottah.
Until the first semester examination began.
“On the first paper, there was a paper that the lecturer will give you to sign if your name is there, and if you see your name on the list you have to sign there and I did mine,” she said.
Ms. Ottah said she signed against her name during her second and third‎ papers.
However, on the day of the fourth paper, trouble surfaced.
“I didn’t see my name on the list to sign and I was worried that I asked my course mate and she direct me to go to the ICT centre to check,” she said.
“I went there with two of my course mates and we were told that they couldn’t find my name on the list but my name was there and that they‎ couldn’t see the course I requested, and I was told it was from the medical centre. They blocked me from there.
“And I went with my course mate and met with the doctor, crying with a shaky voice which made her not to understand what I was talking about and I decided to call my friend to speak on my behalf. For example, I will talk to her and she will tell them what I am saying‎.
‎”As soon as we were done talking, the doctor said she once one told me that day I was in her office that I should come the other day but I didn’t. I was so busy that I forget about it. She sent me to my Department Office.”
It was at the Department Office that a lady delivered the letter which bore the shattering news to Ms. Ottah.
“‎In school, no one ever knew about my hearing problem, it was just my voice they knew,” she said.
Embarrassed dad
Benedict Ottah, her father, described the letter as a “serious embarrassment”.
“I drove to the school, met the HOD, unfortunately, she didn’t attend to me in a way that she should,” Mr. Ottah told PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone.
“And I put up a letter demanding her (his daughter’s) instant recall. They refused. All of a sudden the HOD sent me back to the Medical Board. Only to be informed by the Medical Board that I should write a letter to the VC.
“I later wrote a letter to the VC, copied the Medical Board, the HOD, and the registrar who wrote the letter.”
‎In his letter to the Vice Chancellor, Mr. Ottah appealed for his daughter’s re-registration, noting that she had been taking her lectures and doing her class assignments without stress or complaints.
“I wish to state that on 2nd March, 2015, in the office of the HOD of Technical and Science Educational Foundations, Jane Ihuoma Ottah demonstrated clearly to the witness of the HOD her hearing and responding ability different from what was stated in the above letter,” Mr. Ottah wrote in the letter dated 2nd March, 2015.
“This demonstratio‎n was made possible while she wore her hearing aids. The same demonstration repeated again when she was referred to meet the Medical Director, Medical Services on same 2nd March 2015 in the office of the Medical Director himself.
“However, Jane Ihuoma Ottah did not attend the medical observation with her hearing, ear-aids the day she was scheduled. Furthermore, I wish the Medical Services may conduct another examination that she should be allowed to use her hearing aids. I am optimistic that this report will be put to rest.”
‎About two weeks after he wrote to the university, Mr. Ottah said he returned to the school only to be told by the head of her daughter’s department that the letter was “infuriating to her”.
‎”I told her what transpired in her office was exactly what I communicated, and then you are blaming me. All of a sudden she demanded that I should leave her office. Honestly I was seriously embarrassed,” he said.
“Only to go back to the VC secretary, I was being turned up, come back today, come back tomorrow. I ended up ‎without no response up till date. They did not respond to my letter.
“The university has just denied her the opportunity to be in school. I know my daughter has a problem‎ but she had every opportunity up till today.”
When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Blessing Didia, said he had never heard of Ms. Ottah’s case.
“The matter happened in January as you said. I came from the University of Port Harcourt to become VC here in August,” Mr. Didia, a professor of medicine said. “This is the first time I have heard about the case.”
When asked whether he would review the case now that he is aware, Mr. Didia said, “They don’t admit deaf and dumb here. And if what you said really happened, the vice chancellor then must have seen reasons why she could not be taught here.”
‎Efforts to reach the school’s Registrar were unsuccessful and an e-mail sent to the school’s official mail address was not replied.
Ms. Ottah said she had remained at home since her dismissal – weeping over her misfortune and praying – while her friends are now in 200 level in the school.
“I never thought that Rivers State University of Science can send me away like this,” she said.
“‎Discrimination needs to stop. Everyone has the right to be educated no matter the conditions one is facing.”
The International Ford Fellowships Alumni Association Nigeria (IFFPAN), which first brought the student’s ordeal to the attention of this newspaper, has condemned the action of the University.
Speaking through its president, Faruk Sarkinfada, a professor, it said, “It is regrettable that a University in Nigeria in the 21st century can discriminate against any citizen on account of her disability.
“Her right to Education has been breached. The aspect of her life that must be telling her she is not wanted in our society will unfortunately impact negatively on her whole being.
“The university should review its decision and reinstate her, so that she can acquire tertiary education like her contemporaries.”

Businessman, who videoed dying wife, arrested

A 29-year-old businessman, Oluchi Ajimowu, is being held by the State Department for Criminal Investigation, Yaba, Lagos, for his alleged involvement in the death of her wife, Priscillia Ajimowu.

Priscillia and Oluchi lived with their children in the FESTAC area of the state.

The police are working on two theories; that Oluchi smashed the wife’s head on the floor, or the 23-year-old mother of two poisoned herself after being frustrated by her husband.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Oluchi had locked the deceased in her room on November 29, seized her phone and went out with their two children. It was gathered that Oluchi on arrival met his wife foaming in the mouth.

Our correspondent learnt that Priscilla, a nurse, demanded to be taken to a hospital, but her husband allegedly declined, and gave her palm oil instead. He reportedly videoed her for about 40 minutes after which she gave up the ghost.

It was gathered that prior to the incident, Oluchi had subjected the deceased to inhuman treatment for the four years they spent in South Africa. Oluchi came back to Nigeria four months ago while the wife arrived on November 27, two days before her death.

It was learnt that Oluchi wrote “for sale” on the house shortly after the wife’s death.

The couple’s first child, seven-year-old Ella, told our correspondent that there was a pesticide and a drink in the room where her mother was on the fateful day, adding that her father was “not nice to my mother” while they were in South Africa.

She said, “Dad used to shout at mummy and beat her and she would be crying. That day (November 29), we left her alone in the house. Daddy took the keys and mummy’s phone and locked mummy inside.

“When we came back home, daddy packed outside, locked us inside the car and went inside. After that, he called us to ‘come, come and see your mummy on the floor’. Mummy was saying, ‘Take me to hospital, I’m tired’. He started videoing her. He gave her red oil, but she spat it out. Her body was cold.”

The deceased’s mother, Mrs. Stella Ayobo, said her daughter had planned to visit her on the fateful day, but later cancelled the visit.

The mother said Priscillia had not been happy since she got married to Oluchi seven years ago. She added that Oluchi had shortly after his wife’s death reported at the Aguda Police Division, saying a friend took poison and died in his house.

She said, “Four years ago, they went to South Africa. She always called me to report how Oluchi maltreated her.

“She came back to Nigeria on November 27. She visited me on November 28 and promised to visit me again the following day, being a Sunday. But that day, around 8am, she called me that she would not be able to come again and promised to come with her children on Friday.

“Around 8pm that Sunday, her husband called me that she had been vomiting since morning and I told him to take her to a nearest hospital. He later called me and said it was a poison she took. I told him to bring her. By the time she brought her, she was dead. We took her to a hospital and the doctor said she had died.

“He went to the Aguda Police Station to report that a girl visited him from South Africa, took a poison and died in his house.”

The mother urged the police to investigate the matter to a logical conclusion and give justice to the family.

Priscillia’s elder sister, Mrs. Emenike Dorcas, said Oluchi had convinced her sister to come to Nigeria under the pretext that he would open a chemist’s for her.

“I reported the incident to the police at Satellite Town and Aguda divisions. Policemen at Aguda were surprised when they eventually knew the truth of the matter,” she added

The deceased’s uncle, Francis Ayobo, said the suspect was not remorseful after her wife’s death.

He said, “It is so surprising that the wife was dying and the husband started videoing her. The videos were more than 40 minutes. He sent it to Priscillia’s sister in South Africa. By that time he would have rushed her to a hospital for treatment.

“I noticed that about three other guys were in the background of one of the video because somebody was giving her water and she was foaming in the mouth. Those things should be questioned. He was handed over to SDCI on Wednesday.”

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Joe Offor, said the Aguda Police Station arrested the husband and handed him over to the Satellite Town Police Division.

He added that he would get back to our correspondent with more detail.

CL: Schweinsteiger not player he was at Bayern Munich, says van Gaal

Wolfsburg: Louis van Gaal has repeated his criticism that Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is not the player he was at Bayern Munich in the wake of Manchester United's Champions League exit.

Bastian Schweinsteiger. Inset: Louis van Gaal
United crashed out of Europe's top domestic competition on Tuesday with a 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg, which left them third in the group to drop into the Europa League.
In the wake of the defeat, Van Gaal reiterated his pre-match comments that Schweinsteiger, 31, is not playing as well as he did during his 14 years at Bayern, who he left for Old Trafford before the start of the season. Schweinsteiger was taken off with twenty minutes to go in Wolfsburg.
"I took him off and I don't take players off for nothing, but we are all human beings and so is Bastian Schweinsteiger," said Van Gaal.
"He wants to play at the highest level, especially in Germany, to show his qualities, but I can't say he was the Bastian Schweinsteiger I saw during my Bayern Munich days. I'm sure he will show his strengths this season," added the Dutchman.
Draxler's defence
Wolfsburg midfielder Julian Draxler stuck up for his Germany teammate and says Schweinsteiger has more than enough experience to cope with a slump in form at United.
"I believe Basti has experienced so much in his career that he can cope with this easily," said Draxler. "I have absolutely no concerns about that."
Midfielder Draxler sent Schweinsteiger the wrong way in the build up for his side's second goal scored by Portugal's Vieirinha, which put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
"We talked about it during the game, because he went the wrong way," said Draxler. "It was good for us."
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said he was disappointed with Van Gaal, who coached Schweinsteiger at Bayern between 2009 and 2011. "He was the one who wanted him (Schweinsteiger) and Bastian needs a bit of time (to adjust)," Rummenigge told Sport Bild.

Mumbai: Gold smuggler points Customs officials to jewellery store owner

The smuggler told officials he was to hand over 7 kg of gold — worth Rs 1.6 crore — to the jewellery merchant

A day after the Mumbai Customs caught a flier sneaking in 7 kg of gold hidden in his underwear and shoes, he pointed the investigators in the direction of a jewellery store owner.

Raj Vasant Jadhav told the officials that the gold was to be handed over to Gaurav Jain, the owner of a jewellery store (right) Gaurav’s sister, Apeksha Jain, an advocate with the Customs department, said he was not involved in the crime
Officials said the jewellery merchant’s sister is an advocate with the Customs department, and her business card was also found with the accused. However, the advocate told mid-day that neither she nor her brother had any connection with the smuggling case.
On Monday, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs arrested flier Raj Vasant Jadhav, who was travelling from Paris by Jet Airways. He was found to be carrying seven gold bars, each weighing of a kilogram. He had hidden four of them in the soles of his shoes, while the remaining three were stuffed in his underpants.
The total consignment was valued over Rs 1.6 crore. During interrogation, the accused said he was to hand over the gold to Gaurav Jain, the owner of Arihant Jewelers at Zaveri Bazaar. A body search revealed he was also carrying a visiting card belonging to Apeksha Jain, an advocate who was later ascertained to be Gaurav’s sister.
“Jadhav when investigated by the D batch of AIU, was found to possess the advocate’s visiting card. He also said that one Gaurav Jain was to receive the gold consignment. The officers thoroughly searched the city side of the terminal, but could not find Gaurav there,” said a top Customs official, alleging that he had evaded their attempts to summon him for questioning.
When mid-day contacted Apeksha Jain, she confirmed that Gaurav is her brother but denied that he had any part in the crime. “A person cannot be present in two places at one time. My brother was in the shop; if anyone has any doubts, they should give evidence of his presence at Terminal 2. Neither was he present at the airport nor is he absconding; we have submitted a letter to the Customs departments saying that he will be present for any questioning sessions he is called for.”
As for her business card being found with the accused, Apeksha said, “I am an advocate and my visiting cards are officially circulated to people at the airport. How do I know why and how he had my card?” Customs officials said they will continue to search for Gaurav.
“We have informed the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) who will help us trace the person. As of now, no one has been arrested apart from Jadhav as the case is under investigation,” said the source, adding that Jadhav had also admitted this was not his first smuggling trip.
mid-day is in possession of a copy of the remand application, which reads: ‘In his statement recorded under section 108 of Customs Act, 1962, the passenger has admitted possession, carriage, concealment, knowledge, recovery and non-declaration of the said 7 gold bars of 1 kg each.
As he was promised a payment of 300 Sterling Pounds per kg, he carried the gold for some monetary benefits. In his statement the passenger has named Mr Gaurav Jain, owner of Arihant Jewellers, Zaveri Bazar, as the receiver of the gold. Mr Gaurav Jain didn’t appear didn’t appear for statement even after issuing summons.’
Flip-flops
At first, Customs Commissioner APS Suri denied they were even looking for Gaurav. “We are looking for no such person,” he said. But when he was informed that mid-day has access to the remand application that mentions Gaurav Jain, Suri said, “Why should we disclose anything we are doing? We are tracing the person.” - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-gold-smuggler-points-customs-officials-to-jewellery-store-owner/16755156#sthash.mmpcZdSJ.dpuf

The smuggler told officials he was to hand over 7 kg of gold — worth Rs 1.6 crore — to the jewellery merchant
A day after the Mumbai Customs caught a flier sneaking in 7 kg of gold hidden in his underwear and shoes, he pointed the investigators in the direction of a jewellery store owner.

Raj Vasant Jadhav told the officials that the gold was to be handed over to Gaurav Jain, the owner of a jewellery store (right) Gaurav’s sister, Apeksha Jain, an advocate with the Customs department, said he was not involved in the crime
Officials said the jewellery merchant’s sister is an advocate with the Customs department, and her business card was also found with the accused. However, the advocate told mid-day that neither she nor her brother had any connection with the smuggling case.
On Monday, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs arrested flier Raj Vasant Jadhav, who was travelling from Paris by Jet Airways. He was found to be carrying seven gold bars, each weighing of a kilogram. He had hidden four of them in the soles of his shoes, while the remaining three were stuffed in his underpants.
The total consignment was valued over Rs 1.6 crore. During interrogation, the accused said he was to hand over the gold to Gaurav Jain, the owner of Arihant Jewelers at Zaveri Bazaar. A body search revealed he was also carrying a visiting card belonging to Apeksha Jain, an advocate who was later ascertained to be Gaurav’s sister.
“Jadhav when investigated by the D batch of AIU, was found to possess the advocate’s visiting card. He also said that one Gaurav Jain was to receive the gold consignment. The officers thoroughly searched the city side of the terminal, but could not find Gaurav there,” said a top Customs official, alleging that he had evaded their attempts to summon him for questioning.
When mid-day contacted Apeksha Jain, she confirmed that Gaurav is her brother but denied that he had any part in the crime. “A person cannot be present in two places at one time. My brother was in the shop; if anyone has any doubts, they should give evidence of his presence at Terminal 2. Neither was he present at the airport nor is he absconding; we have submitted a letter to the Customs departments saying that he will be present for any questioning sessions he is called for.”
As for her business card being found with the accused, Apeksha said, “I am an advocate and my visiting cards are officially circulated to people at the airport. How do I know why and how he had my card?” Customs officials said they will continue to search for Gaurav.
“We have informed the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) who will help us trace the person. As of now, no one has been arrested apart from Jadhav as the case is under investigation,” said the source, adding that Jadhav had also admitted this was not his first smuggling trip.
mid-day is in possession of a copy of the remand application, which reads: ‘In his statement recorded under section 108 of Customs Act, 1962, the passenger has admitted possession, carriage, concealment, knowledge, recovery and non-declaration of the said 7 gold bars of 1 kg each.
As he was promised a payment of 300 Sterling Pounds per kg, he carried the gold for some monetary benefits. In his statement the passenger has named Mr Gaurav Jain, owner of Arihant Jewellers, Zaveri Bazar, as the receiver of the gold. Mr Gaurav Jain didn’t appear didn’t appear for statement even after issuing summons.’

Flip-flops
At first, Customs Commissioner APS Suri denied they were even looking for Gaurav. “We are looking for no such person,” he said. But when he was informed that mid-day has access to the remand application that mentions Gaurav Jain, Suri said, “Why should we disclose anything we are doing? We are tracing the person.”

Conductor kills man a week to US travel

The smuggler told officials he was to hand over 7 kg of gold — worth Rs 1.6 crore — to the jewellery merchant

A day after the Mumbai Customs caught a flier sneaking in 7 kg of gold hidden in his underwear and shoes, he pointed the investigators in the direction of a jewellery store owner.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-gold-smuggler-points-customs-officials-to-jewellery-store-owner/16755156#sthash.FvAzj8xD.dpuf

The smuggler told officials he was to hand over 7 kg of gold — worth Rs 1.6 crore — to the jewellery merchant

A day after the Mumbai Customs caught a flier sneaking in 7 kg of gold hidden in his underwear and shoes, he pointed the investigators in the direction of a jewellery store owner.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-gold-smuggler-points-customs-officials-to-jewellery-store-owner/16755156#sthash.FvAzj8xD.dpufvv